ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE, August 3, 2022 – The Department of Agriculture- Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program’s Broiler Chicken Raising Project in Zamboanga del Norte provided more than Php 400k earnings to an identified fully established community-based enterprise in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.

Background

In 2015, the 25-member Pangian Farmers Association from the municipality of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte was officially registered in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). They rely mainly on planting crops like rice and corn for consumption, while also raising livestock such as goats and carabaos.

After a needs assessment conducted by the SAAD staff with the coordination of local government unit (LGU) of Siocon, the findings show that the municipality has limited supply of broiler chickens, thus, the said project is seen having a big potential in terms of income opportunities to the farmers while increasing the supply of broilers in the area.

The SAAD program provided the FA with Php 899,040 worth of livelihood intervention consisting of a broiler house, 4,000 broiler chicken stocks, feed supplements, biologics, and post-harvest processing equipment under the Broiler Chicken Raising Project FY 2017 and 2018.

The SAAD budget allocated for the 450-square meter communal broiler house was downloaded to the LGU, and due to the delay of transferring the funds, it was only constructed in 2019 while the interventions were then provided.

The group then started operations in December 2019 to which they managed to replenish the chickens through a staggered harvest and orders from customers across adjacent municipalities.

12^th Cycle of Production (3 years operation)

The association, in full swing for their enterprise operations, started selling their 12^th cycle of harvest from June 13 to 22, 2022. The FA employed two members to manage and raise the chickens until they reached maturity for marketing. The caretakers then received Php 4.00 per chicken harvested. Other members are tasked with the post harvest processing.

“For the 12th rollover cycle of the project, we loaded 2,000 stocks last May 18, 2022, and we are very pleased that we are able to sustain this poultry project. Every harvest, the members help in defeathering the chickens and removing its organs. We pay the workers Php 10 per chicken, and at the end of the day, they go home bringing some chicken innards which serve as their viands for dinner,” shared Clarito Ramboa, member of Pangian Farmers Association.

Table 1. Pangian FA’s sales in 12^th cycle of Broiler Chickens

“We sold 2,019 kilograms (kg) dressed chickens at Php 190.00/kg, and around 187 kg of internal organs such as intestine, liver, gizzard, and other parts like chicken head and chicken feet,” added Clarito Ramboa.

Aside from the small incentives, the members are also given their respective income shares. Since the start of the project, the members have received an estimated share of Php 3,000 each per cycle. The FA currently has Php 156,000 cash in bank and a Php 122, 560 cash on hand, while preparing some Php 226,000 for operation expenses.

During the three-year operation, the Pangian FA faced numerous challenges. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, food-dependent businesses such as hotels, restaurants and catering services were temporarily halted, affecting the FA’s business.

For a month or so, there were no clients purchasing broilers and broiler meat, leading to prolonged feeding and operations expenses.

But the association managed to rise from the obstacles. They decided to sell the produce at a lower price to do away with continuous feeding that resulted in high operating costs. The income generated from the sales were used to replenish the stocks for another cycle.

Meanwhile in their most recent cycle, price inflation of agri inputs such as feeds again challenged the group. This resulted in a price markup for their product, while they exerted effort in making the customers understand the said increase.

PLANS

Despite the instability of the economic situation, the Pangian Farmers Association is now preparing for their 13th cycle of chicken production to be loaded this month.

Committed to assisting the beneficiaries, SAAD Zamboanga del Norte will continue to monitor the projects and offer technical and training assistance for the sustainability of the community enterprise. ###

Writer: Aimee Lou D. Madjus, SAAD Zamboanga del Norte Information Officer